An Invite, To Eternity
by BabyBrown
Summary: Klaroline finale speculation fic


"Klaus?" Caroline frowns at the Original hybrid standing before her, arms folded behind him, looking irritatingly handsome in his perfectly tailored suit.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in New Orleans." If she's feeling nervous, she hopes it doesn't show. She hasn't seen his face since Silas decided Caroline was next on his list of victims and naively wanted to keep it that way. The fact that everything Silas said had come from her own mind made her realize something about herself; Klaus wasn't the only one with an unhealthy infatuation.

"Oh I wouldn't miss your graduation for the world love," Klaus looks at her in that hopefully eager way he always seems to do around her, "but I also came to say goodbye. It seems I've finally outgrown this town so I'm returning to New Orleans tonight. For good this time." He brings his arms forward and she finally sees what he's been hiding behind his back. A red graduation cap. _Her_ graduation cap. (She can tell it's hers by the giant glittery white 'C' on the top; she made matching ones for Bonnie and Elena as well.)

"You found my cap." Caroline exclaims, having lost it earlier in the chaos of cap tossing, and moves forward to take it. Klaus, however, pulls it just out of her reach. She resists the urge to roll her eyes. She's a high school graduate now; an actual adult in the eyes of the world despite having gone through horrors most adults would crumble under. Instead, she chooses to cross her arms in front of her body.

"I was hoping to keep it as a memento of the only truly good thing this town has to offer, but I knew you would want it back." He smirks, holding it back out to her. "You're sentimental in a distinctly, and annoyingly, human way."

She scoffs, quickly snatching her cap from his grasp. "_You're_ one to talk. I seem to remember a giant storage unit filled with dresses and jewelry and other _mementos_." Klaus chuckles.

"Your honesty is something I will sorely miss."

This time she does roll her eyes. Sometimes the things that come out of his mouth make her forget he's older than Jesus, and with less of his goodwill. "Okay, well you've done what you came to do so_shoo_. I've got a graduation party I spent _weeks_ planning to get to." She waves her cap at him, hoping he'll get the hint and leave.

Of course that isn't what happens.

What does happen is that he leans in to whisper in her ear. She shuts her eyes instinctively.

"That's not the goodbye I was hoping for." Caroline tries to ignore how different it feels now that she knows it's _Klaus_' and not Silas' lips so close, that it's _Klaus_' breath hitting her skin. If her heart could beat, it would be a beating a hundred miles a minute. His hand on her arm is strangely warm. He must have fed recently and the thought of hot pumping blood throws her for an even bigger loop. As much as she hates to admit it, Silas was right. There is a part of her that wants her perfect feathers to be ruffled. That wants to fuck and feed without thinking about the consequences…and Klaus was the embodiment of that lifestyle.

Caroline can feel the goosebumps erupting on her skin and knows he can feel them too. She would blame the cold wind blowing around them on the football field, but she knows better.

Totally distracted by this internal struggle, she's completely surprised when Klaus then presses a kiss against her cheek. Her eyes spring open at the feather light touch. His lips are softer than she imagined; imagined in the dark haven of her bedroom. She refuses to acknowledge the disappointment she feels at the placement of his kiss. When he pulls away from her, Caroline can see that self-satisfied smirk on his face. She can almost hear the arrogant thoughts no doubtably running through his mind. But try as she might, her mind and tongue are completely paralyzed, the echoes of her non-existent heartbeat ringing in her ears.

"But who knows, maybe this isn't a true goodbye. We are immortals after all." His thumb lightly traces circles against her skin, a corner of his mouth lifts momentarily. His face then immediately sobers and he removes his hand from her arm. "This town is too small for the likes of you. Maybe in a year or even a century you'll take me up on my offer." Without waiting for a response, almost as if he was too afraid of another rejection, Klaus turns and walks down the now empty field.

Instead of scoffing like she did to his offer in the past, this time Caroline can't help but feel the possibility bloom in her mind. Paris, Rome, Tokyo. The entire world at her feet with someone desperate to give it to her.

Caroline watches his retreating form and, for some reason, hates knowing that it might be the last time she ever sees him.

_"Maybe less." _

The wind carries her words home.


End file.
